Chapter 18

Hannah sounded like she was hyperventilating as she blubbered, “I, I, I, I can’t believe she did thisssss! And you, and you, and you weren’t talking to her for Valentine’s Day! I remember that! You didn’t speak to her until almost Easter!”

“It wasn’t that long!” Jenna said, snatching the letter out of her hand. They’d been going through her mother’s letters along with their high school diaries and yearbooks. There were so many times they were fighting, and if Jenna would have known, she would never have picked those battles.

Hannah’s face was just as red and just as wet as Jenna’s had been the first time she read through all of those letters. She couldn’t believe her mother had had the foresight to write it all down. But it was probably much easier to write it than to live it through it and talk about it too.

“What are you going to do with all of them?” Hannah asked. Her hands grazed the pieces of paper scattered around Jenna’s bed.

“I don’t know. I was thinking of having them laminated and put into a book or something. It would be nice to keep them around. To remind me when I’m being so stubborn and pigheaded… not to be.”

“That’s so sweet.” Hannah’s tears reignited, pouring down her face again.

“We have to get out of here before you make me start crying all over again,” Jenna told her, pulling her off the bed.

“Go ahead and cry. I don’t mind at all. Or is it because Tanner won’t be here to hug you and not ask questions that you don’t want to answer?”

Jenna rolled her eyes. “Will you get over that already? I told you I was sorry. Grief isn’t something you control. Believe me, I tried. It was much easier for me to be normal, if that’s what you want to call it, up at school because it was just me there. Nothing, nobody from Doveport was there to remind me of what I’d lost. But here, it comes in waves just crashing over me whenever it wants. I can’t control it, and it just so happened that he was there when that wave hit.”

“Humph.” Hannah pretended to be offended, turning her nose up in the air. “If you say so. But speaking of the extremely hot firefighter, how are you two doing?”

“Barely speaking,” Jenna pouted. “I really stuck my foot in my mouth this time.”

“Yeah, like down your esophagus and into your colon deep. Like I’m surprised you’re not walking around on one foot because you swallowed your whole leg deep,” Hannah laughed.

“Shut up!” Jenna pushed her playfully. “I’ve already apologized, and I don’t know what else he wants me to do.”

“Probably show up like he does with you. When you think about it, Tanner is like the ultimate catch. Hunky firefighter, loves his job, has his own place, emotionally mature, drives his own car… and you and Brandy just keep tossing him around like a used up chew toy. Pity.” Hannah shook her head.

“Don’t lump me in with her. What she did to him was despicable and far worse than anything I could ever think of.”

“Right, but she always goes after him. Maybe you should try it. At least get him to come to your birthday party. Do you really want to leave for school with things the way they are between you two?”

“I guess not,” Jenna agreed reluctantly.

“Awesome! That means we can stop by the station on our way,” she said, pulling Jenna out of her house. Jenna couldn’t have stopped Hannah even if she wanted to. They were soon standing in front of the firehouse, each waiting for the other to step inside.

“Maybe we shouldn’t,” Jenna said nervously. “I don’t want to bother him if he’s busy studying. What if he’s not even here?”

“Relax, my buddy Gary said he’s inside. Just go. I’ll be right here.

Jenna opened the door to the firehouse, wondering how many people were inside. She couldn’t bear the thought of being rejected in front of Tanner’s entire team. Luckily enough there were only a few guys upstairs when she entered the main living space. Tanner’s eyes shot directly to her.

Getting up from the couch, he rushed over and pulled her to the side, out of earshot from the rest of the guys. “What do you think you’re doing here, Jenna?!?”

“I really wanted to talk to you, Tanner. Can we go outside?”

“Not right now. Just say what you have to say. I have to get back to work,” he replied with an attitude.

“I understand you’re still mad at me, but I don’t want the summer to end and me to go away without us clearing the air. You know my birthday is coming up next week, right?”

“Of course I remember when your birthday is. I’ve planned enough of them.”

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “Right. So my dad is letting me throw one of my parties at the bar Saturday night. We’re going with a Roaring Twenties theme. I would really appreciate it if you came. I want you there. You can bring whoever you like, even Brandy.”

“Don’t start with me. I’ll be there.”

“Seriously? Do you forgive me? I really am sorry. I should have listened to you. It appears that it’s one of my biggest flaws. So, any thoughts about us, and how we move forward?”

He dropped his head with a subtle laugh. “I can’t talk about that right now. These guys are already going to clown me for you coming here to begin with. So we’ll talk later, I promise.”

Tanner kissed her on the cheek and walked her downstairs to where Hannah was chatting up her friend. Her moment came to an abrupt halt when she saw Tanner and Jenna coming their way. Gary winked and took off up the stairs, shoving Tanner in the process.

“See you next week, guys,” he told them as they walked out.

“Right, next week,” Jenna smiled with relief.

After the two left the station, they found themselves walking down the main strip looking for any place to go shopping for the party. They hadn’t any idea where they could get any of the dresses or accessories they wanted.

They finally picked a dress boutique, hoping that they’d at least find something they could transform with a little creativity, glue and sequins. It didn’t take them long to pile up a few different looks and haul them off toward the back of the store to try them on.

Hannah waited outside the dressing room as Jenna tried on dress after dress. When she finally decided on one to show Hannah, it was gorgeous. Jenna stepped out in a royal blue satin gown. It was gathered and pleated with a ruche effect at the hip. It fit her petite frame well, giving her the illusion of a full hourglass figure. Hannah simply marveled at her friend, mouth agape.

“You look gorgeous in that!” she stated with wide eyes.

“Thanks, Hannah.” She smoothed down the wrinkles and midsection area. “I think it’s a beautiful dress, and I wouldn’t have to add much to it. Maybe one of those fake furs? I can get a feathered headband or something, right? One of those fake lit cigarettes to put at the end of one of those long holders. I have so many ideas and so little time to make it work!”

“I don’t know about all that other stuff, but I’m absolutely in love with this dress on you,” Hannah gushed.

“I like it too.” The voice, with its soft Irish accent, was awfully close to Hannah. Jenna’s eyes narrowed onto Sean Hannity.

“What are you doing in a dress shop?” Jenna practically growled.

“Checking in on my investment, and I see it was a great day to come. I must tell Paul how well you’re growing up,” he leered.

It sent chills down her spine. “Just leave my father alone.”

“I told you how much that was going to cost, and I’ve yet to receive my payment. So no,” he laughed, “but I’ll tell ya something, dear. I will throw in some money for whatever you like here, because me and your dad are so close, you know?”

It was as if he was rubbing it in her face, and she couldn’t stand it. Hannah kept widening her eyes and subtly pushing her hands down toward the ground, warning Jenna to calm down. So she did. She took a deep breath and stood there waiting for Mr. Hannity to leave.

“I don’t want your money,” Jenna told him flatly.

“I bet your school would say otherwise,” he laughed.

“School is paid for. None of it will come from my father or from you. Just leave me alone.” Jenna grabbed a dress and pretended to examine it.

Hannity didn’t let it go. “How can I do that when you’re in one of my shops?”

“Okay, so tell me which one of these dress stores you don’t have a stake in and we’ll go there!”

“Honey, you’d have to leave Doveport to find a business that doesn’t do business with me. How do you think this town stays afloat? Billboards by the expressway? Get over it and get over yourself. Take the damn gift. I’m trying to be nice because I like ya. I like how hard ya fight for yer family. That’s a trait that’s very hard to come by these days.”

“No, thank you,” Jenna stated firmly.

“Stubborn as a mule. My mother was right about you. Ha! She’s always right about people. I gotta listen to her more often. Sounds like something you should do, too. But let me get out of your way and let you finish shopping. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” He winked to them both. “Oh, and the dress looks nice, but I don’t think your father would approve. But hey, who am I?”

They watched him walk away toward the register. The woman behind the counter kissed him on the cheek as she handed him a familiar-looking thick envelope. Hannity motioned toward them and left the store. As soon as he was out of the door, the proprietor rushed over to them with a huge smile on her face.

“Mr. Hannity said that you girls can get whatever you want in the store for free, so pick whatever you like. I’ll make sure it’s fitted and tailored to you perfectly.”

“Ma’am, you really don’t have to,” Jenna said, shaking her head.

“Believe me, it’s much easier to do what he tells you than to fight it. Or you can drive to Pittsburgh and find a dress store he doesn’t work with.”

“Pittsburgh!” Jenna and Hannah shouted simultaneously.

“That’s like two hours away!” Hannah stammered. “We’re not driving to Pittsburgh. Jenna, if this bothers you so much, we’ll take the money and just give it to your dad to give back to him. He doesn’t have to know it was from us.”

“Fine, I’ll make it a little easier on all of us. Let’s just finish shopping.”

The girls did just that, resolving to put money into the bar until they paid off their purchases. But once Hannity left the store, they had to admit that it was fun having access to just about everything they could get their hands on.

Jenna wanted to believe that Hannity was being nice. He was certainly a man of his word, but ‘generous’ had never come up next to his name before. She had to wonder if this was a tactic. The more she thought about the reasons why he’d be so nice, the more she wanted to forget about the entire event. If the invitations hadn’t gone out already, she’d cancel it and start her grad school trip early. She didn’t want anything to do with Sean Hannity or his businesses. But if she was going to take that approach, that meant she wanted nothing to do with The Wheel either.

Her mood sank deeper and deeper as the day rolled on. There wasn’t much that Hannah could do to perk her up. She was crashing again, and Sean Hannity was the reason why.

She refused to tell her father, fearing that he’d think she had initiated the contact. Instead, she went right to her room to search for places she might want to live around the colleges she’d picked. Grad school was a distraction, a much-needed one, from the heavy letters of her mother and the heavy debts of her father. Jenna was suddenly looking forward to her birthday more than ever. Not just the celebration, but the day after. She’d made up her mind. Sunday, August 1st, she was leaving. She’d leave Doveport for good, and she hoped she’d never come back.